The War and the Provisional Government

Published:PravdaNo. 31, April 13, 1917.

      Published according to the text inPravda.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1964,

      Moscow,Volume 24,

      pages112-114.Translated:Isaacs BernardTranscription\Markup:B. BagginsandD. WaltersPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      1999

      (2005).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

“Wehave nevertheless compelled the Provisional Government to
renounce annexations.”—From a speech by Y. Steklov,delivered at the Taurida Palace on April 4.

“Whateverour attitude towards the slogan ’peace without
annexations’ may be, the principles accepted by all the Allies
cannot be ignored.”—From a speech by P. Milyukov
(Rech,April 11).

Stepby step the leaders of the Provisional Government are
revealing the true nature of their policy in regard to the
War. The notorious declaration of the Provisional Government
contained, along with a verbal “renunciation” of annexations, a
statement to the effect that “our” treaties with the British and
the French governments remain valid. A couple of weeks laterRech,the organ of the Minister of Foreign Affairs,Mr.
Milyukov, prints the following:

MILYUKOV’S STATEMENT

Whilein Moscow, P. N, Milyukov, the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, made the following statement at a meeting of members of
the people’s freedom party:Thedeclaration of the Provisional Government concerning the
aims of the war contains not peace terms, but merely general
principles which have already been repeatedly enunciated by
various statesmen of our Allies. The peace terms can be worked
out only with the consent of our Allies and in accordance with
the London Convention. What ever our attitude towards the slogan
“peace without annexations” may be, the principles accepted by
all the Allies concerning the reunificationof Poland and
Armenia. And the gratification of the national aspirations of
the Austrian Slav’s, cannot be ignored.(RechNo. 83,
April 11 (24), 1917.)

Whilein Moscow, P. N, Milyukov, the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, made the following statement at a meeting of members of
the people’s freedom party:

Thedeclaration of the Provisional Government concerning the
aims of the war contains not peace terms, but merely general
principles which have already been repeatedly enunciated by
various statesmen of our Allies. The peace terms can be worked
out only with the consent of our Allies and in accordance with
the London Convention. What ever our attitude towards the slogan
“peace without annexations” may be, the principles accepted by
all the Allies concerning the reunificationof Poland and
Armenia. And the gratification of the national aspirations of
the Austrian Slav’s, cannot be ignored.(RechNo. 83,
April 11 (24), 1917.)

Thisstatement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Milyukov,
will, without doubt, make the round of the whole foreign press
andintensifythe military spirit in Germany. Milyukov
is helping the German imperialists to work up chauvinist feeling
in Germany;Milyukov is helping Wilhelm II to go through
with this predatory war “to the end”.

Letus examine Mr. Milyukov’s statement. The Provisional
Government’s declaration concerning the aims of the war (the
same declaration which Y. Steklov, by a deplorable
misunderstanding, calls renunciation of annexations) contains,
says Milyukov, not peace terms, but “merelygeneral
principleswhich have already been repeatedly enunciated by
various statesmen of our Allies”. In plain language,this means
that renunciation of annexations is merely a fine phrase,
“general principles”, words, words, words, These words have also
been repeated any number of times by “our” Allies. The actual
“peace” terms, however, are a different matter entirely.

Astatesman—Bismark, if I am not mistaken—once said that
to accept a thing “in principle” means, in the language
of diplomacy, to reject itin effect.The same with
Milyukov. “In principle” he is against annexations, in effect he
is for annexations. That is why he stands for war “to the
end”.

Finephrases are not yet peace terms, Mr. Milyukov tells us.

What,then, are his peace terms?

Theseterms are covered by the London Convention. Mr. Milyukov
refers us to it.

Butwho concluded that Convention? Tsar Nicholas II concluded it
with the British and French capitalists! That means that the
treaties concluded by the tsarist clique still remain in
force. That means we are fighting for the sake of these
predatory treaties concluded by the tsarist clique and the
“Allied” bankers.

Seizureof Polish, Armenian, and Austrian territories (this time
Mr. Milyukov makes no mention of Constantinople)—this is what
Mr. Milyukov’s peace programme amounts to.

Whatwill the leaders of the majority of the Soviet of Workers’
Deputies say regarding this latest statement of the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Milyukov? All they will do is “reprove”
Milyukov for this statement of his in the name of the “Contact”
Commission.... What has become of the “Provisional Governments
renunciation of annexations”, which Y. Steklov and N. Chkheidze
claim to have obtained from it?

Thereis no dual power in Russia. The Soviet of Workers’
Deputies merely exercises a benevolent control over the
Provisional Government. This, if we are to believe the newspaper
reports, is what N. Chkheidze said at themilitary
conference in
Minsk.[1]

Thisis what we have come to with this benevolent control!
People who fan the flames of war are continuing to speak in the
name of Russia. The workers and soldiers are being fed with
platitudes about peace without annexations, while on the quiet a
policy is being pursued which benefits only a small clique of
millionaires who thrive on war.

Comrades,workers and soldiers! Read this statement of Milyukov
and expose it at all your meetings! Make it understood that you
do not wish to die for the sake of secret conventions concluded
by Tsar Nicholas II, and which are still sacred to Milyukov!

[1][PLACEHOLDER.]